Under the Hat 1978

Here we have Francesco Clemente’s ‘Under the Hat,’ made with watercolor, a medium that invites accidents and the unexpected. It’s a dance with the pigments, a surrender to the flow. Look at the face floating above the center, with arms reaching out like it’s playing some strange game of peek-a-boo. Each hat is rendered with a similar shade of blue, a simple, almost naïve form, but the cumulative effect is like staring into a kaleidoscope. There’s a quietness to the color palette, a gentle hue that invites contemplation. It reminds me of the dreamlike logic of Phillip Guston’s later works where things are both weighty and whimsical at the same time. Clemente’s painting rejects easy answers, embracing the messiness of interpretation and the endless possibilities of art.